Sixers beat Pistons 112-106 to improve to 8-1 and avenge only loss

The Sixers beat the Detroit Pistons 112-106 on Wednesday night, avenging their only loss of the season and improving to 8-1.

The 76ers opened a three-game road trip with their full group of starters available, while Detroit was without center Jalen Duren. They led by as many as 18 points and held on after the Pistons cut the lead to four late.

Jaylen Brown leads the Sixers with 30 points

JAYLEN BROWN CLUTCH BLOCK ON CADE 😱 pic.twitter.com/XQvlj2yajT

— ESPN (@espn) November 5, 2026

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Brown scored 30 points, 23 of them in the first half. He shot 8-for-14 before the break, including 3-for-5 from three-point range, and went 4-for-5 at the free-throw line. The 76ers needed all of it. Maxey and Embiid combined to shoot 3-for-12 in the first quarter, and Maxey went 1-for-7 in the first half. Brown’s scoring pushed the Sixers to a 17-point lead.

Detroit led 17-11 early. The Sixers answered with an 18-4 run to close the first quarter, capped by a 38-foot three from Brown at the buzzer, and led 29-21 after one.

Brown also ended the game. With the 76ers up 106-102 and 37.5 seconds left, he blocked a three-point attempt by Cade Cunningham. Cunningham started 2-for-8 in the first quarter, and Brown played a major role in slowing him down.

It was a reversal from the first meeting last month, when Brown shot 5-for-20 and the 76ers were missing Embiid and VJ Edgecombe.

Embiid and LeBron James steady the Sixers

Embiid finished with 26 points and 15 rebounds in 33 minutes, shooting 8-for-18 from the field and 10-for-10 from the free-throw line. He drew a technical foul in a second-quarter confrontation with Tolu Smith. He is playing through plantar fasciitis in his right foot, and he appeared done in the fourth quarter after taking his shoes off on the bench. Detroit cut the lead to 12, Nick Nurse called a timeout, and Embiid checked back in.

James had 13 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, and he orchestrated the offense in the second quarter. Two of his passes set up Adem Bona for baskets, including a three-point play, and Bona had five first-half points. With his second field goal of the night, James became the first player in NBA history to reach 16,000 career field goals. The Sixers led 56-42 at halftime.

Maxey struggles on his birthday as the Sixers hold on

Maxey finished with 17 points, but only two came in the first half on 1-for-7 shooting. It was his first poor game of the season, and it came on his 26th birthday. Ausar Thompson, who missed the first meeting, guarded him for a good portion of the night. The Sixers nearly gave away an 18-point fourth-quarter lead before Brown’s block ended Detroit’s push.

What’s next for the Sixers

The Sixers have won five straight and are the only team in the Eastern Conference with one loss. The road trip continues Friday in Cleveland, where the Cavaliers will look to avenge the 29-point comeback the Sixers pulled off in the second game of the season.